Humboldt Neighborhood Guide

Portland's Humboldt neighborhood is bordered by Overlook, Piedmont, King and
Boise neighborhoods. The Humboldt neighborhood is also extremely close to the
Max line on the other side of Interstate and is well connected to many bus
routes. Bicycle commuting to downtown and
beyond is easy and convenient thanks to a bike lanes which are seemingly on
every street.

Features

The Humboldt neighborhood in Portland can probably best be described as
young, urban and hip. The streets are busied with bike traffic, foot-traffic and
buses cruising by every few minutes. This area is a hot-spot for the 20-30ish
Portland crowd looking for easy access to downtown and the ever-cool Boise
neighborhood which is known to most as "Mississippi" due to its most popular and
populated street,
Historic Mississippi Ave. Mississippi is a destination for many out of area
out of neighborhood visitors and Humboldt enjoys the spill over traffic coming
up to its famous coffee shop, The Albina Press. Atlas Tattoo, located a few
doors down from the Albina Press, is Portland renowned for incredible ink work.
The Red Fox is the very popular local watering hole.

Locals here probably spend a lot of their time on Mississippi Avenue since
they can walk there in less than five minutes or bike in a flash.
Mississippi has just about everything the average Humboldter could need: nearly
a dozen great restaurants, great coffee shops, several watering holes (bars) and
a lot of retail and boutique shops. A few standouts on the street are
Mississippi Street's Crow Bar, Amnesia Brewing, Gravy, Equinox, Por Que No?!,
The Fresh Pot, Lorenzo's, Pistils Nursery and Miss Delta. It should also
be noted that Humboldt and Mississippi are home to mostly independent
businesses. You won't find a Starbucks here and locals will see to it that
you don't.

Portland Community College is a major presence in the Humboldt area and many
residents are also students or faculty. Nearby Williams Avenue offers even more
independent retail and boutiques in addition to standouts Lompoc's 5Q (Fifth
Quarter) and Pix Patisserie and Ristretto Roasters. Additionally,
Killingsworth Street has several really great local businesses to choose from
such as Saraveza (a beer bottle shop), The Red E Cafe, E'njoni Ethiopian Cafe
and CoffeeHouse-Five. Down the road on Interstate is a New Seasons Market which
is a local area shopping staple and employer.

Humboldt Neighborhood Vibe

Artsy, earthy, and most definitely hip although the area hipsters would shy away
from this claim. Bikes and scooters are more widely accepted than cars. The
neighborhood prizes diversity, independence and entrepreneurialism. Locals know
each other and support their local businesses. A mix of renters and
owners, singletons and families. Everyone seems to be busy doing something
interesting.

Stats

Humboldt Real Estate

Humboldt homes are either modest, awesome or funky and are just as varied
from Old Victorians, Bungalows, Old Foursquare, ranch, apartments, fresh new
condos and more. Creative paint schemes and landscaping will shout out to you
from pockets all around the neighborhood. It's not uncommon to see "lawn
gardens" peppered with edibles such as strawberries, blueberries and herbs in
lieu of boring old grass.

Humboldt experienced the same boom that Mississippi and surrounding areas did
and as a result, a huge mass of people moved in and prices increased
dramatically. That said, one can still find affordable homes in the
Humboldt area. If you are looking to purchase a home in this area, make sure to
be on your toes and ready to make a quick offer as Humboldt homes are highly
coveted and will not stay on the market long. All in all, Humboldt is a great
place for those who want the comfy feel of an older home, a sense of community
and easy access to other popular neighborhoods and downtown Portland.